


The Art of Losing

by violetnyte



Category: Pocket Monsters: Gold & Silver & Crystal | Pokemon Gold Silver Crystal Versions
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), First Kiss, Fluff, Happy Birthday Prisma!, I have no idea what I'm doing, Love Confessions, M/M, Mild Language, My First Work in This Fandom, Perhaps my last as well, Tsundere Rival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-07
Updated: 2017-04-07
Packaged: 2018-10-16 04:24:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10563651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetnyte/pseuds/violetnyte
Summary: Silver hates losing more than anything, but a certain annoying rival just keeps beating him. Fed up with it, Silver decides to declare one final fight between them to settle everything.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [prismatic-cannon](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=prismatic-cannon).



> This 'fic was written for prismatic-cannon's birthday <3 Happy Birthday, my darling!

It wasn’t so much that Silver loved the stupid weakling, it was that he couldn’t stop thinking about him. Training with his pokemon, riding his bike around town, not even sleeping brought respite from the constant barrage. Nowhere was safe from invasive thoughts about what it might be like to shove his lips against Gold’s to shut him up, a kiss to forever silence the perpetual insistence that Silver indulge in obsession.

But that couldn’t be love, no way that Silver loved the idiot. He couldn’t love someone so weak and worthless, so pathetic, a sniveling little kid at heart even if Gold certainly wasn’t so little or a kid anymore. Nothing pleased him about the pubescent transformation that turned scrawny, stupid Gold into a total beefcake. It infuriated Silver.

Everything about Gold annoyed him. The way he adjusted his cap against the sun, the way he’d smile and wave like they were best fucking friends, even the way Gold walked annoyed him. That effortless saunter, like Gold didn’t even know how many heads turned when he went past. The fake humility about being the best, about having beaten Silver years ago, oh, did that drive him crazy. So many things about Gold distracted him, tormented him, that Silver knew he needed to put an end to it once and for all.

The cheerful ring of Gold’s voice shot across the cafe. “Hey, Silv!”

Silver straightened in his chair and then stood. As Gold neared, he made certain to keep his mouth in a flat line of disapproval despite the beaming smile being foisted at him. He kept his voice smooth as well, cool and collected like his glare. If only he could do something about the heat rushing into his cheeks. “Gold.”

“It’s been awhile!” Gold bounced up closer like it might be a hug for a greeting, and Silver pushed the chair into the way with his foot. The clumsy dork nearly face-planted into the table as he got tripped up in the sudden obstacle.

Watching Gold flail for balance spread a slow smile over Silver’s face. “I want to fight,” he said. “I challenge you to fight me.”

Gold rubbed at his knee where the chair had gotten him. “Oh, yeah? Really? Okay!” And then he sat at the table, plopped himself right into the chair and smiled up at Silver. Oblivious, infuriating, utterly gorgeous.

Silver balled his hands into fists and stood even straighter, shoulders square. “I said I want to fight.”

“Yeah! Sounds fun. I can’t wait to see how much you’ve improved.” Gold flashed him a grin and then picked up the cafe menu. He flipped it over to look at the back and then set it down. His head turned to the counter. “Do I order here or there?”

Silver set his fists on the table and leaned forward, looming over the other trainer. Thank God that annoying teenage transformation hadn’t altered the height difference between them. Not that it mattered, when Gold had his ass plunked into a chair like this.

He spoke with a low, husky insistence. “I want to fight.”

Gold’s smile twitched. “Oh. Now?”

Without breaking eye contact, Silver moved his head in a slow up and down.

Childish disappointment sagged Gold’s shoulders. “Aw. I wanted bubble tea.” He pushed to his feet. “Well, okay. Outside, then?”

Silver nodded. He waited for Gold to start moving before following him out. That annoying walk of his, that easy saunter, the flex and tease of such a well-shaped specimen of hunk. After today, it’d be over. Silver felt confident of that. He’d put an end to this senseless, infuriating obsession.

Outside, Gold cupped a hand to his forehead. He looked along the street before turning with another wide, inviting smile. “Did you have a place in mind?”

Silver tilted his head for a reply, gesturing with the motion. He took the lead for the short walk to somewhere private and secluded, the perfect spot for their battle. No interruptions, no witnesses, no hassle, everything according to plan. If only he could control the frantic flutter of nerves tumbling around in his stomach, this would be perfect.

“Shouldn’t we do this outside?” Gold looked over his shoulder as he stopped in front of the building. “We’ll have more room to maneuver if we do it outside.”

Silver held open the door with a stern glare. He said nothing, because he wasn’t sure what might happen if he tried explaining. His whole plan might tumble out and ruin everything. He waved a shooing motion. Fortunately it worked to get Gold moving again.

“Oh, is this your house?” Gold’s tone brightened into a high shine, an eager brilliance to match the smile. “I wondered where your new place was, you know. I didn’t realize you were so close, that’s cool. You know we should --”

“Shut up.” The slam of the door nearly drowned out the irritable snap of words. The plan called for this happening somewhere other than his living room, but if the idiot was going to run his mouth the whole time than Silver had no choice. “Let’s fight.”

“Um.” Gold looked around at the loveseat, coffee table, and television. His hand closed over one of the pokeball clipped at his belt. “Well, okay, but we might break your stuff.”

Silver reached behind him to confirm the door was shut and latched. Not that Gold wouldn’t be able to unlock it and escape, but it’d slow him down. He had the idiot trapped, the unwitting fool blundered perfectly into his part of the plan. Just like Silver knew he would.

Silver stepped forward and raised his chin to make full use of the extra inches he still kept over his rival. He might have lost everything else to him, including his sanity, but the slight upward lift of Gold’s face was still his to cherish.

Silver set his hand over Gold’s, their fingers tangling over the smooth, rounded curve of the pokeball. He closed the gap between them entirely, until it was just those few inches of extra height and a wide-eyed confusion. He guided Gold’s hand away from the belt clip and the latch on the pokeball.

“I want to fight _you_ ,” he hushed. Silver swept a light touch around to Gold’s belt clasp and worked the buckle loose.

“Me?” The idiot had never sounded so breathlessly stupid, never looked so irresistibly bewildered.

Silver yanked the belt free, the string of readied pokeball dangling in his hand. “Mmhm.”

“Oh,” Gold managed. His gaze wavered aside briefly to take in the drop of the belt to the floor before returning. “You mean like a fist fight? Silv, I’m not --”

As he’d longed to do for so long, Silver shut him up with a kiss. Deep, plunging, mercilessly taking advantage of Gold’s shocked intake of breath, his momentary freeze. Silver knew he’d need every advantage to win this fight. His rival outshone him easily, without breaking a sweat he succeeded in everything set before him, accolades and rewards laid at his feet. Stupid, weak, pathetic Gold, defeating him so easily time and again, but this fight Silver would win. He couldn’t lose, he just couldn’t, it wouldn’t be fair to lose his heart to Gold after having lost so much to him already.

“Mmphmph?” Even the insistent, heated press of Silver’s lips wouldn’t shut him up. Gold squirmed and pushed to try beating distance between them, even as Silver tightened his hold over him. “Mmmhmph --!”

Gold succeeded in shoving Silver off him. Not such a wimp anymore, not small enough to bully around and tease, Silver knew that if Gold managed to get around him to the door that’d be it. He’d lose this fight and lose everything along with it, or maybe Silver had already lost with that first strike of a kiss. Desperation filled him for a second kiss, a third, no way he could win this fight when he’d do anything to ease the crushing ache in his chest.

“What the heck, Silv!” Gold kept a grip on his shoulders, a hard-fought arm’s length distance between them now. “I’m not -- you’re not -- What’re you doing?”

“Shut up.” Less of a haughty command and more of a sulky mumble. Silver knew it was one of those moments his face matched his hair. Scarlet-heated fury shook through him. The idiot was going to make him say it, he wouldn’t take the hint. What the fuck did Gold think they were doing?

He should have stuck to the plan and gotten Gold further into the house first, lured him deeper into the trap before springing it. Gold didn’t even know what they were fighting about, but that wasn’t going to stop him from effortless victory. Infuriating beyond all belief was the fact Silver liked that about the damn idiot. If he had to lose, at least he lost to the best.

“I hate you,” Silver declared. It came out shaky, tremulous like the rest of him. “You’re stupid, and I hate you.”

“Oh. Um, okay,” said Gold. He let go of Silver and glanced down at his discarded belt. They stood like that for a moment, something terrible and awkward taking shape in the silent separation between them.

At last Gold looked back up, that adorable upturned face of his spreading into a smile. “Sorry. I’ve never been in a real fight before.”

Silver wanted to smirk and assure the idiot that wasn’t a problem. Instead he just stood there red-faced and shaking, frozen with defeat and too terrified to move.

“But, um.” Gold shifted forward, the warm brilliance of his smile beginning to melt the icy terror gripping his heart. “I think… I can probably figure it out.”

“Hmph.” Silver tossed his head some and crossed his arms over his chest, like maybe the stubborn fold of his arms might quiet the traitorous pounding. “Idiot like you? I doubt it.”

Gold closed the gap between them with a tip-toe stretch, a slight effortless lift to bring their faces close and lips together. Soft, hesitant, Gold probably wasn’t lying, probably didn’t know the first thing about what they were doing, probably was a complete novice at kissing and everything that was to follow. Then again, knowing Gold, it wouldn’t take him long to be the best. Silver was counting on it.


End file.
